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Our mission

 is to build

 communities of

 support, acceptance,

 and opportunity for

 children, adults,

 and families living  with developmental

 disabilities

    Issue 49                                                                                                        January 2009  

                     (Click on title below to go directly to article.) 

            

 

Calendar of Events

  
 

    

Saturday, February 14, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Valentines Dance at the Ashford/Dunwoody YMCA, 3692 Ashford/Dunwoody Road, Atlanta 30319.  Sponsored by AADD, the Junior League of Atlanta, and the Happy Club.  Dance is for guests 14-years of age and older.  Semi-formal.  Cost is $5 per person.  For more information, please contact Dan “Dij” Evatt at dan@aadd.org or 404-881-9777 ext. 216.  Please RSVP to Ruth by Feb. 10 at 404-307-5653.
     
Tuesday, February 17: Bainbridge, GA “Conversations That Matter: The Present and Future of Services for People with Disabilities,” for citizens from the Bainbridge area with an interest in disabilities. For information, contact Virginia Harris before February 10: bain@surfsouth.com or see the story below.
      
Monday, February 23: Macon, GA “Conversations That Matter: The Present and Future of Services for People with Disabilities.” for citizens from the Macon area with an interest in disabilities. For information, contact Nalini Isaac: nalini@a1-hosting.com or see the story below.
      
Wednesday, February 25: Disability Day at the Capitol, hosted by the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.  For more information, see the story below.
     
March 17 – March 22: Spamalot at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center with proceeds of online ticket sales going to AADD.  For more information, see the story below.
      
Wednesday, April 29: AADD’s Heart of Gold Awards Event at the Emory Conference Center, 1615 Clifton Road, Atlanta.  For more information, see the story below.
    
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1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Annual Report Available for download

  
 


    
    

 

    
AADD would like to thank all of the many generous donors who supported us during the 2007-2008 fiscal year.  In an effort to be prudent in our use of financial and natural resources, we are pleased to announce that this year we have released our Annual Report in a digital format.  Please follow this link to download a copy.  If you have any questions about the Annual Report, please contact Susan Mumpower-Spriggs, AADD Director of Development, at susan@aadd.org or call 404-881-9777 ext. 232.
       
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    2. AADD happily overwhelmed by Adopt-a-Family response

  
 

 
With the current economic turmoil, AADD staff members worried that many of our participants’ families wouldn’t experience a full and joyful holiday.  “We did not expect many families to be adopted this year,’” said AADD’s Azalene James.  But thanks to a multitude of generous donors, AADD was pleased to supply gifts, food, and gift cards to 126 children from 41 families.  An additional 25 adults received similar support.  Without these donations, none of these persons would have been able to afford a joyous holiday celebration.
     
While many of this year’s Adopt-a-Family donors had given in the past, others were participating for the first time.  As a further testament to the generosity of these individuals, many of them have already committed to adopting a family in 2009. AADD is grateful for all of the donors  who helped make our Adopt-a-Family Project an overwhelming success this year.
     
In addition to individual donors, the organization For the Kid in All of Us donated over 175 high quality toys plus gift cards valued at $300.  A “Santa’s Workshop” was set up in a small conference room where the Outreach Specialists came to “shop” for the most needy families.  AADD staff members volunteered for The Toy Party, the event where all the toys were gathered.

 


AADD Adopt-a-Family participants holding large stockings filled with toys and clothing donated by AADD donors.

  

 

     

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  “It was fabulous,” Donna Hall, AADD receptionist said.  “I learned that I make a very good waitress.”  To top things off, For the Kid in All of Us donated $3,000 for ongoing activities throughout the year with the children of AADD’s participants.
     
AADD also thanks Sage clothing store that, for the fifth year, collected toys and delivered them to AADD. Customers who donated a new toy of $10 or higher value at the store received a 25% discount on an item they purchased at Sage. Their contributions added to the “Santa’s Workshop” toy choices for AADD Outreach Workers to select for children in their neediest families.
    
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 3. Robyn Berger to receive AADD's 2009 Heart of Gold Award

  
 
Robyn Berger (center) with AADD Board President Linda Wilson (left) and Executive Director Mary Yoder (right).		  
    
Champion, advocate, leader – all words that describe Robyn Berger.  Robyn has worked tirelessly to build bridges and bring together resources for the benefit of people and families living with developmental disabilities. “There is no one more deserving of our Heart of Gold Award,” AADD Executive Director Mary Yoder said.
    
Robyn, Assistant Director of the DeKalb Developmental Disabilities Council, has been a strong parent advocate serving on multiple boards and task forces in the Atlanta area. She has led the way in building community-based services and inclusive education for people with disabilities.  A passionate voice, Robyn has been a strong advocate for services that are centered around each individual’s needs. Robyn has also made policymakers and service providers aware of the particular challenges faced by both caregivers and people living with developmental disabilities as they age.
     
AADD’s annual Heart of Gold Awards event will be held Wednesday, April 29 at the Emory Conference Center on Clifton Road.  Visit and revisit the Heart of Gold website for news about this year’s event, nominations for additional awards, and event reservations.
   
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 4. AADD at the Capitol: join us in protecting needed supports!  
 

   
The Department of Human Resources has proposed FY2009 budget cuts to the Governor that will leave our most vulnerable families and individuals even more at risk.  While there are 150 waiver services for those persons transitioning from institutions to the community, there are no disability supports for the over 6,800 people currently on Georgia’s waiting list.
     
We are asking Governor Perdue and our legislators not to cut funds for existing disability supports or contracts, rate increases, or developmental disability waiver slots in the Department of Human Resources or Community Health Budgets.
     
You can help AADD and Unlock the Waiting Lists! protect much-needed supports for people with disabilities. Here’s how:
     
--Encourage your state legislators in the Georgia General Assembly to look for revenue solutions to serve our most vulnerable citizens during these hard economic times.
    
--Come to the Capitol to help us distribute information and be a visible presence. For information, contact Rita Haggerty at haggertyr@earthlink.net.
     
--Ask a friend or loved one to join our effort by signing up to receive our action alerts by going to www.aaddvocacy.org. You can also find information about your legislator there.
     
For more information, go to http://aaddpolitical.blogspot.com/ and http://www.unlockthewaitinglists.com/
     
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 5. AADD organizes "Conversations" across the state  
 
    
Attendees as the Roswell "Conversations that Matter" event discussing possible improvements to disability services.		  
 

   
More than 100 local residents gathered at the Roswell Recreation Center on January 21 to meet and connect with their neighbors who care about people with disabilities. “We were thinking that maybe twenty or thirty people would attend,” said Rita Young, AADD Manager of Advocacy and Training and facilitator of the event. “When we received RSVPs from more than 90 people in a week, we knew that we were offering something that people were ready for.”

The Roswell event was the first in a series of “Conversations That Matter: The Present and Future of Services for People with Disabilities” to be held in towns across Georgia. Designed to bring together local citizens who share an interest in building strong communities of support for people with disabilities, attendees talk in small groups that include parents of children with disabilities, self-advocates, professionals who work in disability supports and services, and local policymakers. The entire group heard about current issues and shared ideas about solutions for their community.

The next two events will be held in Bainbridge (February 17) and Macon (February 23). If you know of people in those areas with an interest, please forward this newsletter to them. Bainbridge area residents can RSVP by February 10 to Virginia Harris, 229-246-0150 or bain@surfsouth.com. Macon citizens can RSVP by contacting Nalini Isaac: nalini@a1-hosting.com.
     
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 6. Join us for Disability Day at the Capitol - February 25  
 

   
The Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities will be hosting the annual Disability Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 25.  Please come rally on the Capitol steps to celebrate community, advocacy, and friendship.  Enjoy breakfast or lunch with advocates from across the state.
     
To RSVP or obtain event details, please contact William McKeen with the Governor’s Council at 1-888-ASK-GCDD or email wimckeen@dhr.state.ga.us.
     
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 7. 20th Annual Holiday Dinner/Dance and Volunteer Reception  
 
Participants dancing at the 20th Annual Holiday Dinner/Dance.		  
 

   
More than 500 guests celebrated a milestone event and the holidays on December 6 at the 20th Annual AADD-Junior League of Atlanta Holiday Dinner Dance.  The ever-popular Sammy Rosenberg returned and reprised his role as the event’s featured disk jockey while 75 volunteers from the Junior League and AADD’s extended family came to support the event.
    
The tradition, which started when a small group of parents came together and hosted a holiday party for their children with developmental disabilities, has become a staple of holiday celebration for many families in the Atlanta area.
    
AADD Advisory Board Members Nancy Rizor, Carolyn McClatchey, and Sarah Kennedy hosted a reception for the volunteers before the dinner dance.  Among the honored guests were members of The Junior League of Atlanta, which has sponsored and supported the event for over a decade, and some of the parents who helped start the Dinner/Dance tradition.
      
For information about how you or your company could be involved in helping to serve dinner at next year's dinner dance, please contact Susan Mumpower-Spriggs at 404-881-9777 ext. 232, or susan@aadd.org.
    
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 8. Buy Spamalot tickets and help support AADD  
 

      
Through a special arrangement with the Atlanta Broadway Series and Ticketmaster, you can purchase discounted tickets to see the Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot (based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail) at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre for shows on March 17-22.  For each ticket purchased, AADD will receive a $5 donation from the Atlanta Broadway Series.  Simply follow this link, choose a date to see the show, and enter the code “KNIGHT” in the Charity Offer Presale box.
     
For group tickets, please call 404-881-2000.  If you have questions about this offer, please contact: AtlantaService@BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
     
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 9. Activity Connection  
 

   
For information on recreation or education events, click here to visit the “Recreation” section of our AADD Web site.
   
Pictured: AADD Special Olympic swim team coach Casey Drake (center), with athletes Stacy Anderson (right) and Clay Conrad (left).

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